Author News & Interviews

Tilar J. Mazzeo is the New York Times bestselling author of multiple nonfiction books that tell stories of strong, resourceful women in impossible situations. In this interview, Mazzeo opens up about the joys and obstacles of historical storytelling, including --- as is the case with her latest book, IRENA’S CHILDREN, about a real-life social worker who risked her life to save 2,500 children from the Holocaust --- becoming emotionally attached to her subjects. She also discusses why the telling of history, be it personal or national, can never be subjective.

A former journalist, Sherryl Woods is now the bestselling author of over 100 mystery and romance books. In 2007, she published MENDING FENCES --- the story of how a rape accusation threatens to shatter the bond between two families --- and is now re-releasing it because the issues are so timely. In this interview with The Book Report Network's Megan Elliott, Woods discusses what led her to write about such a difficult subject, the unfortunate reason she was able to empathize with victims of abuse, and why she remains so interested in and moved by female friendship.

Amor Towles’ 2011 debut, RULES OF CIVILITY, was a runaway hit with critics and readers alike. Five years later, he returns with his highly anticipated follow-up, A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW, the transporting story of a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel in Moscow. In this interview, Towles discusses in charming detail the reason this particular project was so appealing to him after the success of RULES, the unique way he structured A GENTLEMAN like “a diamond on its side,” and why setting his novels in the 20th century has allowed him to explore the space between the “unbelievably actual and the convincingly imagined.”

Cli-fi --- fiction that deals with themes of climate change --- is a rapidly emerging new genre, and Meg Little Reilly is one of its uniquely qualified contributors. Her impressive list of credentials includes former treasury spokesperson under President Obama, deputy communications director for the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), communicator for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and now debut novelist. Her first book, WE ARE UNPREPARED --- about a superstorm that threatens to destroy a marriage, a town and the entire Eastern seaboard --- has taken the book world by storm.

In this interview with The Book Report Network’s Megan Elliott, Reilly discusses why she doesn’t think fiction about climate change belongs in its own genre, why she is only minimally prepared for the event of a superstorm, and the reason she remains optimistic that future generations will work to appropriately address our changing climate.

Bestselling mother-son writing team Charles Todd is back with an exciting new addition to the Bess Crawford mystery series. In THE SHATTERED TREE, the World War I battlefield nurse goes to dangerous lengths to investigate a wounded soldier’s background…and uncover his true loyalties. Here, the prolific duo talks with The Book Report Network’s Ray Palen about some of the interesting choices they made in order to keep a beloved, long-running series fresh, including adding a French perspective to Bess’ ever-evolving world, and pushing Bess out of her comfort zone and making her --- of all things --- a patient.

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Books On Screen

December's Books on Screen roundup includes the feature filmsCrooked House, The Disaster Artist and November Criminals; the made-for-TV movie Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle, along with the season three finale of "Outlander"; and the DVD releases of American Assassin, The Mountain Between Us and Victoria & Abdul.